School closures in East Stroudsburg, Stroudsburg put on hold

School building closures are off the table for at least two Pocono districts in the 2013-14 school year.

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By CHRISTINA TATU

poconorecord.com

By CHRISTINA TATU

Posted Jan. 25, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By CHRISTINA TATU

Posted Jan. 25, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

School building closures are off the table for at least two Pocono districts in the 2013-14 school year.

Last year, East Stroudsburg Area School District officials considered closing J.M. Hill and Smithfield Elementary schools before eventually voting to keep both open.

In September, school officials said they would again investigate whether to close any of their elementary schools — this time looking at J.M. Hill, Smithfield and Bushkill.

After reviewing enrollment figures and other data, the school board's budget advisory committee has decided not to pursue the issue further, at least not for the 2013-14 budget, said East Stroudsburg Director of Administrative Services Eric Forsyth.

The committee, made up of board members Michael Meachem, Ronald Bradley, Robert Gress, Roy Horton and Marjorie James, recommends possible cost-saving measures to the rest of the board.

When the committee examined enrollment numbers, it found an average of about 9 percent free space available among all the district's school buildings, Forsyth said. Smithfield Elementary has the most, with about 40 percent free space available.

To help save money on utility bills at Smithfield, officials closed off the older section of the building.

Last year, officials debated leasing the older portion of the building to KidsPeace, a Lehigh Valley-based charity serving children with behavioral and mental health issues.

That deal fell through, however, and there have been no further plans to lease the older portion of the building, Forsyth said.

As part of a 2007 expansion and renovation project, school officials removed 30 pod trailers and replaced them with 25 new classrooms. The previous cafeteria, gym and all-purpose room were expanded into a much-needed library, and the old library was turned into an art studio.

Because a portion of the $15.9 million project was paid for with state money, it would actually cost the district more money to close Smithfield than to keep it operating, said District Business Manager Jeff Bader.

"The issue when you close a school building is you no longer get reimbursement on your debt service," Bader said.

So if the building were to close, the district would lose $147,400 annually in state reimbursements.

Even if the building were closed, it would still require some heat and air conditioning to protect pipes from freezing in the winter and mold from forming in the summer. The utility costs for Smithfield are $180,300, Bader said.

If the building were closed, school officials would save about 70 percent on energy usage, or $126,200, Bader estimates.

Because of the loss in state reimbursement, it would cost the district about $21,200 more per year to run Smithfield if it were closed, Bader said.

Forsyth projects there will be about 318 students enrolled at Smithfield in 2013-14, but the building can comfortably hold up to 638. Although enrollment is down from previous years, Forsyth believes it will eventually go up again.

"It's space for future expansion. The homes are certainly there to support it," Forsyth said.

no review til '15

Separately, Stroudsburg School Board members, at the recommendation of Superintendent John Toleno, say they will not look at whether to close buildings again until 2015, when the new high school is completed.

Last year, officials discussed closing Ramsey Elementary School, but that idea was greeted with public backlash and the board eventually voted to drop the idea.

When the new high school is complete, the ninth grade, which is currently housed in the junior high school, will move in.

"If we move the ninth-graders to the high school, it certainly makes sense we will have to do the same redistricting all over the place, but that plan has not been laid out yet," Toleno said.